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Rangers remain without Beltre's services

Rangers remain without Beltre's services

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Adrian Beltre

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CLEVELAND -- Outfielder Josh Hamilton, despite not being 100 percent because of back spasms, was back in the lineup on Friday night in the series opener against the Indians, but third baseman Adrian Beltre was out of the starting lineup for a third straight game because of a sore left hamstring.

The Rangers have no plans to put Beltre on the disabled list and are hoping that he will be ready to go on Saturday.

"It's truly day-to-day," manager Ron Washington said. "He's available to pinch-hit, and hopefully we can get him in there tomorrow."

And Beltre did pinch-hit in the Rangers' 6-3 loss, sending a fly ball to deep right for the final out of the game.

Beltre injured the hamstring running the bases on April 21 and has missed five of the last 11 games. His last start was on Monday, against the Blue Jays, as designated hitter. He went 3-for-5 at the plate, and running the bases on the artificial surface at Toronto's Rogers Centre aggravated his condition.

While in Toronto he underwent a second MRI, which showed no significant tear, and did not start on Tuesday or Wednesday.

"It's not good enough to be in there tonight but it's not bad enough to be on the DL," Beltre said on Friday. "I don't think it's that bad."

The Rangers are 16-4 with Beltre in the lineup and 1-5 in the five games he did not start. He missed five weeks in the second half of last season with a strained hamstring and has become more understanding about taking time off to rest his legs.

"He has been tremendous about it," Washington said. "He knows his worth. He understand he tried to push it [last year]. He's so understanding. ... I don't even know if it's Adrian."

Hamilton missed all three games in Toronto with muscle spasms on the right side of his back. He said the problem was caused by a couple of ribs popping out of place on Sunday night, and the muscles around them went into spasm in response. He is undergoing daily treatment and maintenance to keep the condition under control.

"It's good enough," Hamilton said. "I took four days off to see if it would get better, and it's a little better. I have been reassured I can't hurt it any further. It doesn't feel totally better, but I can deal with it."